Brooks

Koepka

Koepka made a huge statement with his win at the PGA Championship, winning his fifth career major. It was the first major won by a LIV defector and perhaps nudged along the merger conversation. Koepka has been trying to ignore that outside noise and keep his focus on the main event, “I haven’t paid too much attention to it, honestly. I’ve been trying to prep for this week. I’m just trying to make sure I come into a major championship -- there’s four weeks a year I really care about and this is one of them, and I want to play well. So I wasn’t going to waste any time on news that happened last week. I saw it. I was sitting at Grove at the bar there having breakfast and I saw it on TV. Watched a little bit of the interview, and that was it. Just went out and practiced.” Koepka has finished top 5 in four of his last five tries at the U.S. Open with two of those doubling as wins (2017, 2018).

Koepka had a target on his back all day as he was the 54-hole leader and he didn’t show any sign of nerves. He opened with birdies in three of the first four holes to establish his intentions. He found a hazard at the sixth, a fried egg at the 11th, and took his medicine with a chip-out at the 17th. In all three instances, Koepka was able to minimize the damage with a bogey and nothing worse. Koepka is now 5-for-9 in converting 54-hole leads into wins. Koepka went through some injury struggles over the last few years but it’s safe to say he’s made it through on the other side and will be one of the favorites any time he pegs it in a major championship.

Koepka eased into his week with a 2-over 72 but has blitzed the field with back-to-back 66s to claim the top spot with one round remaining. It was a balanced attack today with 4.4 strokes gained tee-to-green and 2.2 strokes putting. Koepka’s now in a familiar spot as this will be his ninth time holding a 54-hole lead or co-lead on the PGA TOUR. Four of those were in major championships, two coming at the PGA Championship (2018, 2019). Most recently, he held the 54-hole lead at the Masters in April, settling for a runner-up finish that week. He’s converted four of those eight 54-hole leads into wins and finished 3rd or better in all eight instances. Gamers should expect him to be right in the hunt for the remainder of the event. Koepka will start with Viktor Hovland (-5) and Corey Conners (-5) right on his heels and four other big names (Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy) all within five shots.

Koepka split 10-of-14 fairways and landed 12 greens today. Those striking stats were respectable but not outstanding. From there, he lost around two strokes around-the-green, also losing two strokes to the field average for the round. “You know, I just kind of played average, and I didn’t get any good breaks, either... That’s how it goes sometimes. But I didn’t feel like I played too bad, and then obviously just tried to give it a run there at the end, but just wasn’t good enough. Congrats to Jon.” Koepka was previously 3-for-3 in converting 54-hole leads into wins in major championships. This will go in the books as his second runner-up finish at the Masters, in eight tries.

Koepka eagled the par-5 eighth and added three birdies to reach 12 under par, two shots shy of Jordan Spieth’s 36-hole Masters record set in 2015. Of his four major victories, twice has Koepka held at least a share of the midway lead. He was a co-leader at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills and prevailed for major No. 1. He was out front by seven in the 2019 PGA at Bethpage and rolled to major No. 4. What’s working for Koepka thus far this week? Everything. He’s hit 89% of his fairways and 81% of his greens in regulation and doesn’t have a three-putt.

Koepka entered off a win in Orlando and stayed steady today with his striking. He piped 12-of-14 fairways and landed 15 GIR. It was his iron play that really stood out, gaining strokes on approach on 16 of 18 holes. Koepka has rushed back from injuries in recent years but is finally feeling healthy again. This will be his eighth time posting a first-round lead or co-lead, fourth time in a major, and second time at the Masters (T2/2019).

Reports poured in this morning that Koepka was leaving for the LIV Golf Series. He has yet to deny the reports and this pre-tournament WD from the Travelers likely seals the deal. This may have seen the last of Koepka when it comes to playing in a PGA TOUR event. His signoff was a 9-for-15 campaign that saw him post just four top 25s. A far cry from his prime years that saw him rack up double-digit top 25s in five straight seasons.

The Daily Telegraph first reported the news and more sources have rolled in with similar reports. There is no official confirmation from Koepka’s camp or LIV Golf, at press time. Koepka is currently listed in the field at this week’s Travelers Championship but is supposed to play next week in Portland, the second event of the LIV Golf Series. His brother Chase played in the first event, in London. Koepka is a member of the PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council and initially spoke out against the Saudi-backed tour. The Florida State product is a four-time major winner but has battled injuries in recent years and finished outside of the top 50 in all three majors this season.

Koepka split just half of the fairways today but still managed 13 greens in regulation, gaining 2.27 strokes on approach along the way. Despite what the stats say, Koepka has been unhappy with his iron play, “Maybe a little bit disappointed where I’m at just because of how poorly my iron play is, and usually that’s the best part of my game, and it’s just not even close to even average.” He will try to fix those issues ahead of the weekend. This is a familiar spot for the Florida State product who has entered the weekend at T13 or better in five of his last seven U.S. Open appearances.

“I love it, man. It’s a tough test,” said Koepka, who noted the U.S. Open is his favorite event. “I don’t like these 25-under (tournament totals) where you have to shoot 60 every round just to compete. I like it when it’s a battle. That’s kind of more my style.” In eight USO starts, he’s made seven cuts with five top 10s, including wins in 2017 and 2018, a solo second in 2019, and a T-4 in 2021. In 2017, Koepka beat Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama by four strokes at Erin Hills, tying Rory McIlroy’s to-par scoring record with a 16-under 272. Koepka led the field in GIR with 62. In 2018, he shot 1-over 281 at Shinnecock Hills to beat Tommy Fleetwood by one stroke and became the first repeat winner since Curtis Strange in 1988-89. In 2019, aiming to win for the third straight year, he finished three strokes back of winner Gary Woodland. Koepka shot four rounds in the 60s – the first non-winner to do so in tournament history. He was T-4 in 2021, marking his fourth straight top-five finish in the U.S. Open (he did not play in 2020). See the link below for a full transcript of Koepka’s comments.